The permanent maintenance of a high level of nuclear safety in all phases of realization and exploitation of nuclear objectives and installations is of vital importance and must be the first priority of any power plant. The high degree of nuclear safety is ensured by the way in which nuclear objectives and installations are designed, built, operated and commissioned.
The document including the nuclear safety policy elaborated within each power plant and approved by the nuclear regulatory authority, guarantees outstanding performances in all important activities to ensure nuclear safety, in all phases of realization and exploitation of nuclear objectives and installations. This document must confirm and strengthen the fact that nuclear safety has maximum priority over production requirements or planned deadlines in carrying out investment activities.
Nuclear safety as a field is a set of technical and organizational measures designed to:
- Ensure the safe operation of nuclear installations
- Prevent and limit their deterioration
- Ensures the protection of staff, population and the environment against irradiation or radioactive contamination
On these desiderata is based the nuclear safety philosophy of power plants. This philosophy includes three fundamental principles, namely:
- The principle of Defense-in-Depth, which consists in achieving a high level of technical performance and nuclear safety, by providing multiple physical barriers to the release of radioactivity to the environment.
- The ALARA principle, the objectives of which must ensure the protection of operating personnel, the population and the environment, by establishing and maintaining adequate protection against radiological risks.
- The Principle of Grouping and Separation – The division of systems with security functions into two groups aims at providing protection against common events that would cause destruction on large areas of the power plant at the same moment.
The consistent application of these principles has ensured and continue to ensure the supply of electricity in very good conditions as well as a high degree of nuclear safety, at the level of international standards.
Nuclear safety jobs at a power plant requires, first of all, higher technical studies in energy, with specialization in the nuclear field. At least 5 years of experience in the nuclear energy industry, relevant experience in evaluating nuclear safety documentations and obtaining authorizations at different stages of the project, familiarity with nuclear safety laws, norms and guidelines, advanced knowledge in the use of Office programs (Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.) and Outlook, as well as excellent communication skills can be other requirements.
Job experience that might be useful for a nuclear safety job at a power plant include:
- complementary studies: refresher and specialization courses in the field of nuclear safety, organized at national and international level
- specialization courses in the field of management
- seniority in the nuclear specialty (more than 7 years!)
- experience in coordinating nuclear safety projects or studies for nuclear power plants
- knowledge of quality management requirements
- knowledge of norms on the authorization of quality management systems applied to the construction, operation and decommissioning of nuclear installations
- participation in conferences
- writing articles and publications of nationally/ internationally recognized profile
- knowledge of licensing documentation.